Non-conducting covering.



No. 685,780. Patented Nov. 5, I90l. n. H. MARTIN.

NON-CONDUCTING COVERING.

(Application filed Mar. 7, 1900.)

(No Model.)

"dress at No. 354WVest One PATENT Curios.

ROBERT H. MARTIN, OF NEW YORK, N.

NON-CONDUCTING COVERING.

PECIFiGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 685,780, dated November .5, 1901.

Application filed March 7,1900. Serial No. 7,631.

(No model.)

T0, aZZ whom it may concern.- p

I Be it known, that I ROBERT H. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, having my post-office ad- Hundred and Twenty-second street,) have invented a new and useful ImprovementinNon-Oonducting Coverings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in Which'- Figure 1 illustrates a perspective View of a roll of the material, one end of which is extended, and upon it in different sections are illustrated some of the forms in which the i nvention may be produced. Fig. 2 illustrates a'vertical sectional View, somewhat enlarged as compared with Fig. 1, showing in perspective one form of a slab or covering embodying my invention adapted for application to a fiat surface. Fig. 3 illustrates in perspective a portion of a section of pi pe-covering embodying the invention.

Coverings made under my invention may be either fireproof, so called, adapted to be used upon heated surfaces, or non-fireproof, adapted to be used for insulating cold surfaces or those not so heated as to require fireproof covering. In them both the chara'oteristic feature of confined or non-circulating air spaces is presentthat is to say, spaces in which the free circulation of the air is so retarded as to constitute them what are known in this art as dead-air spaces. The degree of confinement of the air will depend upon the special formation of the raised ribs, but in all forms the abutment of the several sections or sheets of the covering against each other when in place upon the surface to be covered will, in effect, so retard the circulation of the air that the purpose of the construction will be accomplished, as is well known in this art.

To make the fireproof covering, I take a sheet of asbestos paper or equivalent noninflammable sheet or layerand on one or both of its surfaces I deposit in strips, lines, or bands any suitable adhesive material such as paste, silicate of soda, glue, or the likewhich is preferably applied in liquidcondition. In some instances where the paper or other sheet has been sufficiently sized the application of moisture only in strips, lines, or bands will suflice, because it will soften the size, thus rendering it adhesive, and it will thus take the place of the adhesive material applied as above. In some cases a sheet which has been heavily sized during its manufaoturemay be sprinkled with wateror moistened in it and then the fibrous material applied in strips or bands upon it. On these bands, strips, or lines of adhesive material, however produced, while still moist and adhesive, I next deposit finely-divided asbestos material in soft,.flocculent-, and non-fabricated condition, such very short fiber, floor-sweepings, and the like, which are of low grade and of but little value. This material adheres to the bands, strips, or lines of adhesive substance, forming raised ribs or ridges having the pattern or arrangement of the adhesive material on the sheet. The height of these ribs above the plane of the sheet and their density will depend upon the character of the material used, the amount of it that is applied, and the character of the adhesive material. The non-fabricated material thus applied need not necessarily be fibrous. It may begranular. The sheet, having the ribs or ridges upon it, is then dried and used to make various forms of non-conducting and fireproof covering for pipes, boilers, tanks, the. For fiat covering a series of these sheets or layers may be superposed one upon the other in such manner that the smooth or non-ribbed side of the sheet will rest upon the ribs or ridges of the sheet below until the requisite number of sheets have been superposed to build up the desired thickness of covering. Any other arrangement of the sheets or la ers may, however, be employed, and they may be united together, if desired, into an integral structure by applying adhesive material to the tops of the ridges or ribs or to the under side of the superposed sheet, as the case may be, or they may be attached by stapling, sewing, or in any other preferred manner, and this method of attachmentmay extend uniformly throughout the superposed layers, or at the edges or corners only, or here and there at intervals throughout the area of the covering, as desired.

For making so called sectional or tubular covering for pipes I prefer to make the ribbed sheets in long lengths and then to roll them upon a mandrel, as usual in such manufactures, until the requisite number of layers be superposed one upon the other; and they may be connected together in either of the ways above explained, or in any other preferred manner. The tube thus formed may be sawed or otherwise split open at one side or at both sides, and provided with an exterior covering, which shall actas a hinge, if desired, or otherwise finished.

For making covering that is not fireproof, suitable for use in cold-storage warehouses and other places where considerable heat 7 will not be encountered, I frequently employ a sheet which is not fireproofas, for instance, a sheet of ordinary paper, felt, or equivalent material-and apply to it or produce upon it the lines, strips, or bands of adhesive substance, 'and then apply upon these adhesive strips, lines, or bands the finelydivided or short fibrous material-such as shoddy or equivalent substance, preferably of low cost, all as above stated.

In order to give the proper finish to the exterior of the covering, whether fireproof or not, I prefer that the last or outer sheet shall be plain paper, so as to present a smooth surface which may be painted or otherwise decorated, and it should be preferably a relatively tough material, so as to withstand abrasion in use. A canvas, muslin, or burlap covering may also be employed.

Referring now to the drawings, in Fig. 1 are shown various forms in which the adhesive material may be applied to or produced upon the surface of the sheet.

A illustrates the sheet, and B the ridges of fiber running transversely of the sheet. At the right at B the ridges are shown running longitudinally, at B they run diagonally across it,at 13 they are in circular form,the circles being arranged irregularly, (they may be of different size also,) and at B the ridges are shown serpentine in shape. If the bands, strips, or lines of adhesive material and the resulting ridges or ribs run at right angles to the length of the sheet, then when it is coiled up into sectional covering, as shown in Fig. 3, the ridges C will run longitudinally of such sectional covering, as shown in that figure. If, on the other hand, the ridges run longitudinally of the web of the sheet, then when it is coiled into sectional covering they will run circumferentially around it, and if they are arranged diagonally or are circular, or serpentine, or square, whatever the pattern may be, then the disposition of the ridges, and consequently the shape and degree of isolation of the confined air-spaces, will correspondingly differ.

In Fig. 2 I show four layers or sheets only superposed one upon the other, A being the base-sheet, and B the ridges. In this example the strips of adhesive material and the re sulting ridges or ribs have run either straight across the original web or longitudinally thereof, depending upon the way in which the original web has been cut to make the flat covering illustrated in this figure.

I wish it to be understood that I am fully aware that for certain purposes it is preferable to have the ridges run in one direction and for other purposes in other directions. I have therefore illustrated in Fig. 1 various forms in which they may be arranged. Indeed, the pattern adopted may be such as preferred. The forms shown are given as examples only. .I am also well aware that in some of the forms shown the confinement of the air will be more complete than in others; but in them all there is retardation of the circulation of the air. Also I do not limit myself to the superposition of four sheets only, as shown in Fig. 2, or to the special construction of sectional covering, as shown in Fig. 3. They are given as examples only.

I make coverings both sectional and flat, partly of fireproof and partly of non-fireproof materialas, for instance, covering may be made of one or more sheets of asbestos, having finely-divided asbestos to form the ribs or ridges next to the heated surface, and then the requisite thickness of the covering may be supplied by adding other sheets of nonfireproof material, ribbed or not. In making up the covering plain sheets may be inter spersed with the ribbed sheets, and the ribs or ridges may be made of such size as preferred, but always of the non-fabricated material.

When in the claims hereof I describe the material which constitutes the ridges or ribs as non-fabricated, I do so to distinguish the material I use from that which has been made up into a product, such as a sheet or a rope or similar article, for the purpose of my invention is, among other things, to economize in the manufacture of the covering and to utilize low-grade material or that which is, in a sense at least, waste product, although in many instances usable for other purposes.

A feature of my invention is the fact that the ribs or ridges as made by me being of loose, flocculent,non-compressed material are better non-conductors of heat than if compacted more or less by having been made into a finished product, such as a sheet or cord. Other advantages arising from this invention as compared with other forms of covering in which the dead-air spaces are made by using corrugated or similar sheets are as follows: My covering embodies a much less amount of high-priced materialthat is to say, the asbestos or other finished sheets. Moreover, the efficiency in my covering is rather greater than in the more expensive forms, because of the non-conducting quality of the flocculent and loose ribs as compared with the more compacted material, as above stated. Also my coverings are somewhat lighter in weight than those of equal efficiency heretofore made. Also where corrugated or indented sheets are employed for making the air-spaces they almost invariably after the lapse of time lose their corrugations or indentations, becoming soft, flabby, and misshapen, particularly where subjected to dampness.

Having described my invention, I claim-- 1. A non-conducting covering embodying superposed sheets or layers of material having ridges of non-fabricated and finely-divided material between and attached to them, for the purposes set forth.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a sheet of material having ridges of non-fabricated and finely-divided material attached to its surface, for the purposes set forth.

3. A non-conducting covering embodying a plurality of layers or sheets of material having ridges of non-fabricated and finely-divided material permanently attached to them, whereby they are separated from each other,

and an exterior jacket or covering, for the purposes set forth.

4. A fireproofnon conduoting coveringcomposed in part of an inner sheet of asbestos material and ridges of non-fabricated asbestos fiber attached to said asbestos sheet and interposed between it and the next adjoining sheet or layer, for the purposes set forth.

5. A fireproof non-conducting covering em bodying superposed sheets or layers of asbestos material having ridges of non-fabricated asbestos fiber permanently attached to them, whereby they are separated, and an exterior jacket or layer, for the purposes set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 27th day of February, 1900.

ROBERT H. MARTIN.

WVitnesses:

H. S. WHI'LBEOK, PHILLIPS ABBOTT. 

